This tweet is wrongheaded for several reasons, the most blatant being that golf has long been “a famously segregated sport“, especially during Martin Luther King Jr.‘s era. (Yes, Obama plays a lot, but these are different times.) Still, that’s not the biggest problem.

The message obviously wasn’t meant to be offensive and we feel like the follow-up apology was great, but it’s the specificity that bugs us. What did “Dream Day” have to do with golf? Absolutely nothing. Brands enter dangerous waters when they try to co-opt sensitive cultural touchstones—and the deeper people’s feelings about the person or event, the greater the risk. Remember when Epicuriousran Boston-themed promo messages in the wake of the marathon bombing? Oh yeah. But like our headline says, most brands did just fine yesterday. Here’s an example of a well-crafted message:

There’s got to be a way to be less specific, but we can’t think of it. Here’s another one that might be even safer:

That’s about as edgy as a glass of warm milk. But back to the bad: The Golf Channel wasn’t the only brand to make the self-serving Twitter mistake. This one comes with a big hat tip to Mr. Media Training (follow him on Twitter):

Today is the 50th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech! So we want to know, what Herr’s snack have you been dreaming about?

Subscribe to Adweek

Featured Courses

Storytelling for Media ProfessionalsUse smart storytelling to build your brandLearn more >Digital Media Planning and BuyingBuild the foundation for successful media planning in a constantly evolving marketLearn more >Develop a Freelance Writing CareerBuild a thriving career as a freelancerLearn more >Digital Editorial ProductionMaster content management systems and the user experienceLearn more >See more Courses >